Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, NSW change border rules for New Zealand after COVID-19 outbreak

Australia’s eastern states have all clamped down on quarantine-free travel from New Zealand after three new local COVID cases were announced in Auckland.

The nation’s eastern states have clamped down on quarantine-free travel from New Zealand after an outbreak of coronavirus in Auckland.

Tasmania joined Queensland, Victoria and NSW in imposing restrictions on travellers from Auckland after three new local cases were linked to a cluster at a high school.

Tasmania’s Director of Public Health, Mark Veitch, declared the Auckland region in New Zealand to be a high-risk COVID-19 location on Wednesday night.

Dr Veitch said anyone in mainland Australia who had been in the Auckland region in the past 14 days would not be permitted to enter Tasmania unless approved as an essential traveller.

“Public Health Services is contacting people who have been in New Zealand in the past 14 days and have recently arrived in Tasmania to ensure they have not been in one of the newly declared hot spots in New Zealand,” he said.

Queensland was the first state to slam its borders shut when Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young said New Zealand was no longer a “safe travel country”, so all “green flights” would stop from 6pm.

It came after the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee received advice that the level of risk in New Zealand had increased.

The cluster in Auckland has now reached eight cases.

Dr Young said the border decision was made to protect the health of everyone in Queensland.

Tasmanian Director of Public Health, Mark Veitch, has restricted travel from Auckland. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“Unfortunately, over the past few days New Zealand has been recording some new positive cases, which is why we are closing the border from 6pm,” Dr Young said in a statement.

“Anyone who is permitted to travel to Queensland from New Zealand will be required to quarantine on arrival.

“Acting with an abundance of caution has kept Queenslanders safe and that’s exactly the path we will continue to take.”

Travellers who have been in New Zealand since February 21 are also urged to get tested and isolate until they receive their results.

It also applies to anyone who has entered from February 6 who has not already been tested.

“New Zealand is working very hard to contain this community transmission, but they are still in a critical stage of their response, so we need to keep watching closely,” Dr Young said.

“Things can change really quickly with this virus – we’ve seen that in other countries around the world — which is why I am asking Queenslanders to reconsider their need to travel to New Zealand.”

Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young said the decision was made to protect the state. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Steve Holland

Victoria also joined Queensland in restricting travellers arriving from New Zealand on Wednesday night.

Anyone coming to Victoria from Auckland will now be required to stay in hotel quarantine.

“From 11:59pm on Wednesday, February 24, all flights arriving from Auckland into Victoria will be regarded as ‘red zone’ arrivals and anyone arriving will be required to enter mandatory hotel quarantine for 14 days,” the Victorian Department of Health announced shortly after 11pm on Wednesday night.

“Those who arrived in Melbourne from Auckland yesterday, Tuesday February 23, are asked to get a COVID-19 test immediately and quarantine until they receive a negative test result.

“The Department of Health is in the process of contacting impacted travellers and will provide them with advice about where to get tested.”

NSW is also updating its advice after the New Zealand outbreak. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Christian Gilles

Meanwhile, NSW Health is contacting travellers who have arrived from New Zealand since February 20 on quarantine-free flights to check if they have been to any new venues attended by an infectious person.

As a precaution, people who have arrived after that date are also being urged to get tested and isolate until they get a negative result, or for two weeks if they attended one of the venues.

“A notice is now in effect specifying Auckland as a hotspot,” NSW Health said in a statement.

“This requires people arriving in NSW from New Zealand who have been in Auckland, including the airport, to enter hotel quarantine for 14 days.

“Alternatively, they may choose to depart Australia.”

The hotspot will come into effect at 12.01am on Thursday.